Improvement in shackles for carriage-tongues



F R. POLLARD.

Carriage-Tongue Support.

No. 56,606. Patented July 24,- 1866 635 lave/1%) 0% m K (WOW N. PETERS, PMOTWLITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGYON 0 c UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SHACKLES FOR CARRIAGE-TONGUES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,606, dated July 24, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK R. PoL- LARD, of Canaan, in the county of Grafton and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and Improved Shackle for Carriage-Tongues;

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a wagon-tongue with my improved shackle at tached Fig. 2, a central vertical section through a portion of a carriage-tongue, illustratin g, in red lines, the catch raised to release the ring; Fig. 3, bottom view of the front end of the tongue, showing the lower plate rermoved; Fig. 4, detached view of the lower plate of the shackle-iron.

Similar letters indicate like parts in all of the figures.

The nature of my invention consists in the employment of a pivoted drop or catch so combined with a suitable mortise in the front end of the tongue and slot in the lower plate of the shackle-iron as to prevent the ring of the neckyoke or other attachment from becoming disconnected from. the tongue by the forward movement of the team or other accidental causes.

In the front end of the tongue A is a longitudinal mortise, to, within which is pivoted, at b, the catch B, so arranged as to fall by its own weight to the position shown in Fig. l of the drawings. The lower portion of the shackle iron 0 is provided with a slot, 0, through which the front end of the catch passes.

The ring D of the neck-yoke is passed over the front end of the shackle-iron, and, pressing against the front end of that portion of the catch below the lower plate of the shackle iron, raises the catch to the position shown in red lines, Fig. 2, until the ring is in position against the lug (I, when the catch falls by its gravity and occupies such a position in front of the ring D as prevents its becoming loosened from the tongue by any accidental cause, it be ing necessary to press the drop upward with the hand in order to withdraw the ring or other attachment.

The shackle -iron may be secured to the tongue by bolts 0 c, as shown in the drawings, or in any other suitable manner.

I contemplate pivoting the catch B to either side of the tongue, or one on each side thereof, and thus dispense with the mortise a and slot 0. The length of the catch from its front end to the point I), where it is pivoted, together with the weight of the front end thereof, is such as insures against the upward movement of the catch B (from the position shown in Fig. l) by any lateral or vertical play the tongue of a carriage or wagon receives when driven over a rough road or from other accidental causes.

The object of this simple device is to guard against accidents arising from the ring of a neck-yoke or other attachment working loose from the end of the tongue of a wagon or other vehicle, and yet admit of the detachment of the same when desired by simply pressing upward the front end of the catch.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A pivoted catch combined with the end of a carriage-tongue, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

The foregoing specification of my improved shackle for carriage-tongues signed by me this 31st day of March, A. D. 1866.

' FREDERICK R. POLLARD.

In presence of- WYMAN PATTEE, D. M. CUMMINGS. 

